Stuff We Found Today - 05.14.09

WBF 240 H instant housing design by Winfried Baumann.

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• New Study Shows 69% Increase in BPA Levels with Polycarbonate Bottle Use - (The Soft Landing Blog) "The levels of bisphenol-a in the urine of 77 Harvard increased by two-thirds after they drank cold liquids from BPA water bottles for only a week."
• Growing families green - (Mother Nature Network) "'The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green' offers fast tips to help moms make eco-savvy choices."

Food Stuff

• Monsanto Bets on the Hungry to Double its Profits by 2012 - (Twilight Earth)
• Pollan: Don't buy food you've seen advertised - (Mother Nature Network) "Monsanto, swine flu, Lay's claim to be local, Michelle Obama's organic garden, school lunch programs and more. This video has Michael Pollan weighing in on a lot of important issues."

Home Stuff

• 11 Homes Made Out of the Darndest Things, from Treehouses to Missile Silos - (TheDailyGreen) These are kind of fun to look at and pretend to live in...
• Don't be a water hog in the shower - (Mother Nature Network) "Enjoy your hygiene moment and still conserve water with the next generation of low-flow showerheads."
• Portable Urban Housing - (GreenMuze) "The eco housing and design movement too often focuses on green housing solutions for the middle-class or wealthy. German designer Winfried Baumann instead focuses on finding cutting-edge and affordable design solutions for the homeless or ‘Urban Nomads’."
• Going Green Does Pay You Back: Tax Credit for Ecosmart Fireplaces - (Green Your Decor) ...and these are some very cool looking modern fireplaces.
  

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• Green Jeanies: Project Blues, J Band, AG and Levi's - (EcoStiletto) Here's a quick lineup of some eco-friendly jeans...there's fun & edgy re-worked vintage styles, upscale fashion jeans, and an affordable eco-line from an American denim icon.
• Yearn Worthy Yarn: Your Hair - (Crafting a Green World) "...using your hair, human hair, as fiber to create clothing can be done, as this woman from Romania has shown us." OK...we'll file this one under sustainable but WAY TOO CREEPY!

Tech & Science Stuff

• Dell announces e-waste export ban - (Mother Nature Network) "Computer maker Dell has formally announced a ban on exporting electronic waste to developing countries."
• The Prius, Better Place, and Googling - (EcoGeek) Lovin' these videos from EcoGeek... (video in post)
  

School, College & Student Stuff

• House OKs $6.4 billion to make schools greener - (CNN.com) "The House on Thursday passed a $6.4 billion school modernization bill that would commit funds for the construction and update of more energy-efficient school buildings."

Nature & Environment Stuff

• Want a 1 in 50 Shot of Getting Cancer? Live Near a Coal Ash Pond. - (Twilight Earth) "...according to a just released government report kept from the public for seven years by the Bush Administration."
• Summer Fun: Count Frogs or Fireflies for Science - (Sierra Club: The Green Life) "...a growing citizen-science movement that aims to harness the power of hobbyist wildlife watchers everywhere to gain important data about disappearing species." Great activity to do with the kids!
• North Pole poised to be largely ice-free by 2020 - (Grist) "The Arctic ice cover, which has endured for at least 100,000 years, will be all but gone within a decade according to a volume-based projection by a leading British scientist, the BBC reports."
  

Arts, Entertainment & Travel Stuff

• Go green while you're traveling - (Mother Nature Network) "A better breed of sustainable travel has emerged." Here's a pretty comprehensive overview of green traveling.

Website Stuff

• Responsible Shopper: Your Guide to Promoting a Responsible Economy - (Green America) Wanna see how various companies are doing on the social responsibility front? Check this out... "Green America's Responsible Shopper provides you with the real story about abuses by well-known companies, gives you actions to promote corporate responsibility, and helps you green your life and world."
• The $15 Global Warming Solution - (TheDailyGreen) "Conservation International...wins a Webby for its 'Protect an Acre' site...invites people to protect an acre of tropical forest for $15..."
• Meet you eco-mate with Planet Earth Singles - (Grist) Cuz we're all just looking for someone to love.
  

International Stuff

• Americans ranked as world's least green consumers - again - (Grist) C'mon people...we're better than this!
• Taiwan's Stunning Solar-Powered Stadium Built for the World Games - (Fast Company)
• Germany Creates Experimental Car-Free Suburb - (Chelsea Green)
  

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• Chicago bans BPA - (Safer States) "Chicago has become the first city to ban bisphenol A (BPA) from children's products."
  

Other Random Cool Stuff

• How To Spot Third Party Verifications Of "Green" - (The Good Human)
• Book Roundup Wednesday: Pocket Green Guides - (Sierra Club: The Green Life) Here's a great list of pocket-size guides to help you stay on the green path.
• Seedbomb Fires Seedlings - (GreenMuze) "Designed to ‘bomb’ the earth with seeds and baby trees, the Seedbomb is a project intended to inspire hope."
• America's Dirtiest Cities - (GreenMuze) "Do you live in Bakersfield, Los Angeles or Pittsburgh? If so, you have the unfortunate distinction of living in three of the cities with the worst air pollution in the USA."